by LoisLane looking for Superman 30 Replies latest jw friends
(1) Did it cause you to leave sooner than you might have, otherwise.
(2) It didn't bother you enough to do anything about it. Hey, we are all imperfect.
(3) Did you want to prove you were better than they, and nothing they could do or say, was going to stumble you.
(4) They stumbled me, probably as much I stumbled them. We all know it's an Old Boy's Club and we are NOT going to tell on each other.
LoisLane
Rampant hypocrisy certainly bothered me greatly, but I did not have enough information to act on (walk out).
That came later.
Now that I am fading/out, I can see #1 as a normal response.
I had information but I was #2, #3, and #4.
LoisLane
It made me wonder if the whole organisation was rotten underneath as these individuals were. It added to the pile of doubts that grew and grew until I left, so I guess it played a small part in facilitating my leaving on a subconscious level.
The answer is a moving target.
I didn't see the full hypocrisy until I was an Elder. They do a good job of sheltering the flock, even the MS.
At first I figured it was just imperfection (#2).
Then I figured I could change it more from the "inside" (#3).
Then I got caught up in "if you can't beat them, join them" and climbed the corporate ladder very quickly (#4).
ONLY when the hypocrisy hit ME squarely in the face personally, did I get to #1.
Doc
I think we go through more than one of Lois's points. I went through #2 as well until one day my non jw dad pointed out some jw hypocrisy and I countered with the jw axiom about human imperfections then it struck me then and there, "is this not a double standard? Some worldling does that I say tsk tsk tsk! But a jw I make excuses for- this is not honest, Julia!"
But it was not long after that I began the gradual gaining of consciousness...
I didn't know of any hypocritical JWs, besides kids my age who were nearly all leading a double life. I just ignored them and was glad when they left the congregation when they turned 18 or so. I wish I had known some, because it would have helped me see more quickly that the people in the organization were not much better than "worldlies". It's possible that my tendency to be disconnected from other people prevented me from knowing about lots of scandalous little personal details; I just assumed that everyone was pretty much saintlike except for me.
I know what you mean. You put em on a pedestal like oh, they're pioneering or never stressed or depressed, having so much joy serving 'Jehovah' and I'm miserable and empty so what's wrong with me? But scratch beneath the surface and they're either as miserable as u or a it of a hypocrite.
I was a terrible JW hypocrite. The shame I felt from this definitely contributed to driving me out. Does this count?
Probably # 1 that you list. I knew lots of hypocritical Witnesses in my area ( none of which I ever got close to ) and I could not stomach the hypocrisy and ill treatment of self righteous conduct they displayed lording it over other " weaker " JW's - as THEY perceived it. Made me want to hurl. Hypocrisy I received unjustly from elders was one of the huge things that opened my eyes about the TTATT and hastened my exit over 10 years ago in 2003 . I think I would have exited in 2010 anyway due to the " overlapping generation " nonsense but due to JW hypocrisy I had seen I had been on the cusp of leaving in my own mind since 1989. But having family inside kept me locked in until 2003 - then finally I hit my breaking point where I could nOT take the hypocrisy anymore. Freedom is sweet, glad I left
